Do You Need a Website for Your Consulting Practice?

by Warren Hoffman

Although the short answer is "No," answer these questions before you quit
right here: Do you need business cards or a brochure?

A fax machine, telephone, or cell phone?

A computer?

Email?

Do you do any marketing of your services?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then read on.

Question: What is a "Website"?

Answer: A Website is a communication tool to support marketing. It provides
information about you and about your "offering" via the World Wide Web. A
website is reached by typing a web address and using a search engine, or
via a link on another web page.

A website is just another type of information technology one can choose to
use - hopefully because it adds value. At one time, consultants obtained
all of their business by word of mouth.

Today, many technologies are widely used. A website can be a useful
addition to your repertoire - a low cost "virtual brochure."

Question: What kinds of things go on websites?

Answer: There are no single answers to any of these questions.

Remember: the "P" in "PC" stands for "Personal."

Make choices based on what feels right for you. Use the web site to
communicate who you are and what you stand for.

The minimum is a "resume" - a single page with contact information, skills,
and experience.

Key Fact!The single best way to make a lot of decisions is to find the
website of a consultant that you like and then base your contents and
design on it.

Question: How do people find my website?

Answer: A website is NOT! an "If I build it, they will come" item. You must
make your website address (URL) known and motivate people to visit it. The
starting point is to put the address on your business card along with your
email address.

Get it listed wherever you can. The OD Network will list your URL in the
on-line roster. Many regional OD networks do this as well. Put the URL on
your stationery and brochures and anywhere else you can - especially at the
end of email messages.

Question: Do I need my own domain name (like www.myname.com) to have a website?

Answer: No. Nearly all Internet Service Providers (including AOL, cable and
DSL, and dialup ISPs) provide disk storage for websites. A personal domain
does look more professional (and can be used for email).

Question: How much does it cost to operate a website?

Answer: Nothing if website space is included in the ISP service. A website
for a personal domain costs from $5/month to $25/month. Website hosting is
very competitive. Most hosting companies provider similar services.

Question: How do I decide what else, if anything, to put on my website?

Answer: In the context of marketing: you can put anything that will be of
use to visitors and presumably influence them to contact and engage you.
For example, you could post articles you have written or links to your
articles on the web. Some people put links to information they believe
visitors will find useful.

Question: How does a website get created?

Answer: You can create one yourself using tools provided by the ISP, using
a web site creation program, using a program like Microsoft Word that can
save in "HTML format", or hire somebody to create one. A website is created
on a computer and then uploaded to your web space.

Question: Do I need to be a computer expert to create a website?

Answer: Definitely not! You do have to make the decisions on what you want
to post and how you want it to look. Technical aspects are just a little
more complicated than those, like email, that most people can master.

Question: How do I find someone to create a website for me?

Answer: Look in the newspaper or Yellow Pages or, even better, write to the
person who developed a website you like.

Question: How much does it cost to develop a website?

Answer: This depends on how complex you make it. A low cost way is to find
a computer-savvy teenager or relative.

Developers work for $50-100/hour. If you're clear about what you want, and
you avoid rework, the cost will be a few hundred dollars.

Question: How is a website kept up-to-date?

Answer: By updating the materials and reloading the pages to the web site.
If you don't do this very often, the cost will be nominal. Contract for
updating when you contract for development.

Question: What can I do with a website besides post information?

Answer: You can provide forms for submitting questions, ordering products,
and many other things. Most OD consultant websites simply provide information.

Question: How do I get my website listed in search engines like Google and
Yahoo?

Answer: Google, Yahoo, and most major search engines have a link for
getting your site listed. Having your website mentioned on sites that
search engines already index will eventually get your site indexed as well.

Question: Will a website do all my marketing?

Answer: No! In and of itself, a website is only a starting point. If you
meet somebody on a plane, in an elevator, or at a party, or somebody finds
you listed in a directory, your website can give them more information
about you. I think of my website as a widely available form of the "two
minutes on who I am" - and nothing more.

Question: Are potential clients the only audience?

Answer: No. Your website can inform potential partners of what you can do.
It also can inform your mom, dad, and kids about what you do.

Question: Where should I start?

Answer: The cost is low and so is the effort and there is no risk. You must
decide if you want to proceed. If you go ahead, map out the key concepts
and ideas in advance on paper. An extra benefit of planning a website is
the organized thinking about how you want to be seen by the world.

Warren Hoffman is an independent organization consultant from Wilmington
Delaware. He is also the OD Network Webmaster and does web sites for
several other professional societies. He can be reached at [log in to unmask]


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